QBE has announced new support measures for staff who experience pregnancy loss.

The insurer has partnered with charity The Pink Elephants Support Network, which says that each day more than 280 Australian women experience miscarriage and six babies are stillborn. A third of women experience pregnancy loss.

QBE has amended its parental leave policy wording to be more inclusive and understanding of early pregnancy loss and has provided mental health care resources within the updated policy, including allowances for leave on loss anniversary dates.

The initiative also introduces a professionally trained peer support network and QBE team leaders will receive resources and guidance on how they can support their team members who experience loss.

“Miscarriage isn’t just a moment in time and can affect everyone differently. That’s why we want to give our employees a full range of support measures and make sure everyone feels validated and helped during their individual journey,” QBE CEO Sue Houghton said. “Providing inclusive and comprehensive support to all our employees is really important to us.”

Under the QBE Pink Elephants Peer Support Companion program, three team members across Australia and New Zealand have volunteered to share their own experiences with pregnancy loss to confidentially support others in the organisation, with professional training provided by Pink Elephants.

Pink Elephants CEO Samantha Payne says the charity is proud of QBE for creating “the most inclusive policy we have seen for our community who suffer pregnancy loss at any gestation”.

“We commend them for taking on board all our best practice suggestions and providing meaningful support, to ensure the well-being of their people who go through pregnancy loss. These changes will have a profound impact on many people,” she said.

QBE has been certified one of Australia’s first Family Friendly Workplaces in line with new national standards aimed at providing employers with ways to build a more inclusive workplace culture.